Experiential campaign proposal · Prepared by Otium Media for Sotol Romo · July 2026
Sotol RomoinLos Angeles
One dinner, two locations, and a content engine built to carry it. An offline and online campaign that introduces sotol to one of the most affluent dining audiences in Los Angeles County — and turns a single evening into a season of assets.
Sotol Romo has proved the placement works. It went onto the list at Nobu Downtown in its first American summer, alongside Bazaar Meat, the Waldorf Astoria and PDT. What New York has not yet given the brand is a repeatable format — an evening that can be documented, cut, distributed and run again in the next market.
That is what Otium Media is proposing to build and execute. A single ticketed pairing dinner at a fine-dining venue whose guests already buy on provenance, wrapped in a content and paid-social program with a guaranteed impression floor. The dinner earns the credibility. The campaign carries it to the rest of the market.
Objectives
What this campaign is built to do
Five outcomes, each with its own deliverable and its own measure. Nothing here is brand awareness in the abstract.
Land the LA market
Put the brand in front of a prime demographic in one of the largest spirits markets in the country.
Borrow the right room
Partner with a fine-dining venue that already reaches affluent consumers, so the audience arrives pre-qualified.
Build the pairing menu
A designed progression from Blanco to Reposado that proves sotol belongs at the table, not only on the back bar.
Produce the content
A shoot built into the evening, generating a library that sells the category and not just the bottle.
Guarantee the reach
Creator partnerships and paid amplification against a contracted impression floor.
The market
Why Los Angeles, and why this corner of it
A $79 bottle in a category most consumers cannot yet name needs a room where price is not the objection. The Calabasas trade area is the strongest such room in the county, and it is measurable.
$165,288
Median household income, Calabasas — ACS 2024
1.7×
Calabasas against the Los Angeles metro median of $95,958
$103,325
Per capita income — 2.2× the metro figure
$200k+
The largest single household income bracket in the city
Median household income
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2024 5-year estimates
Calabasas$165,288
California$99,122
LA metro area$95,958
United States$80,734
Per capita income tells the same story more sharply: $103,325 in Calabasas against $47,931 across the LA metro area — a 2.2× gap. This is discretionary spending capacity, concentrated inside a five-mile radius.
Category momentum, and why the small base is the opportunity
IWSR · 2023 data release
Sotol volume, 2022+17%
Agave spirits, 2022+13%
Agave CAGR 2017–22+9%
Sotol CAGR to 2027+6%
Sotol grew faster than the agave category that carried it, but from a base a fraction of mezcal's — which is why category education, not share-of-voice, is the job. These figures come from a 2023 IWSR release and should be refreshed with a current cut before this deck goes to a media buyer.
Audience
Where the two audiences already sit on top of each other
Directional. Built from census income and age data, Yume's stated trade area and Sotol Romo's published positioning — not from panel research.
The shared middle is the pitch
Neither audience needs to be persuaded that a spirit can be worth $79. Both have already accepted that premise — one through agave, the other through sake and Japanese whisky. What the overlap gives the campaign is a room full of people who buy on purity and origin, being handed a spirit whose entire argument is purity and origin.
Same purchase logic. The reasoning behind junmai grading — nothing added, nothing to hide — carries straight over to 100% Puro, additive-free. This is a guest who reads the label.
Same price tolerance. A guest who orders a rare sake flight does not flinch at a premium pour.
Same occasion. Omakase-style dining is low-volume and high-check — one considered drink, ordered slowly, rather than a round.
Different acquisition value. Yume's guest is a consumer Sotol Romo is not currently reaching through any luxury on-trade account.
The venue partner
Yume Sushi Bar
Two locations under one operator, secured in one conversation. Otium Media manages the venue relationship, the culinary collaboration and the night itself.
Location one
Old Town Calabasas
23536 Calabasas Rd — the dinner venue
Yume — Japanese for dream — is a modern reading of traditional Japanese cuisine with an emphasis on intentional sourcing. The Calabasas location launched the group's first cocktail program and is presented by its own team as a nightlife destination, not just a dining room.
Bespoke Japanese-inspired cocktails, rare sake and Japanese whisky
Private events with custom layouts, full bar service and dedicated staff
Stated trade area: Hidden Hills, Bell Canyon, Agoura Hills, Topanga, Malibu
Signature dishes already aligned to the pairing: kanpachi crudo, miso black cod, kushiyaki
Location two
Studio City
12254 Ventura Blvd — the follow-on listing
The original Yume, and a second, entirely different audience. Studio City sits inside the entertainment corridor, which is where a brand already fluent in Davos, Cannes and Super Bowl week gets the most out of a back bar.
Reach includes Universal City, Burbank, Toluca Lake, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills
Global sake list — a guest base already trained to buy on provenance
Open seven days for lunch and dinner, both locations
Carries the program forward after the Calabasas dinner as a standing listing
The guest chef
Elvin Park
A Korean-American chef who has built his practice around exactly the question this dinner asks: what happens when Asian technique meets Mexican ingredients and neither one is wearing a costume.
Chef Elvin Park at the pass · plating service
Background
Park was born and raised in New York and trained at the International Culinary Center before being recruited into Eleven Madison Park — three Michelin stars, and voted the best restaurant in the world by The World's 50 Best in 2017. He then spent years traveling to learn cuisines and techniques firsthand, staging pop-ups in six countries and cooking privately for clients along the way.
He now runs Fusion Lab Test Kitchen in Tulum, his own studio, built around a chef's counter where guests sit inside the process rather than in front of it. Its stated purpose is to combine his Korean heritage with Mexico, his adopted home. That is not a positioning statement written for this campaign. It is what he already does.
TrainedEleven Madison ParkThree Michelin stars · World's 50 Best No. 1, 2017
EducatedInternational Culinary CenterNew York City
TraveledPop-Ups in Six CountriesPlus private client work internationally
NowFusion Lab Test KitchenFounder and chef · Tulum, Mexico
Why he is the right chef for this room
He already does this. Asian and Mexican cooking is his standing practice, not a one-night concept written to fit a brand brief. The menu will read as conviction rather than novelty.
He cooks in Mexico. The Mexican half of the pairing comes from a chef living and working there — the difference between a zarandeado glaze that belongs on the fish and one that reads as a theme.
The pedigree matches the rooms. A three-Michelin-star kitchen on the résumé is the credibility peg for a brand already listed at Nobu and Bazaar Meat.
The counter is his format. Fusion Lab is built around a chef's counter and so is Yume. He is not learning the shape of the room on the night.
He gives the campaign a protagonist. Product films are hard to watch. A chef with a point of view and a reason to be in that kitchen is the difference between an asset library and a story.
The dinner
Two acts, six moments, one spirit in three forms
Developed by Otium Media's culinary and programming lead with guest chef Elvin Park, to be finalized in tasting sessions with Yume's kitchen.
The objective is to position Sotol Romo as one of Mexico's most refined and elegant spirits, and to show that it pairs naturally with high-end Japanese cuisine. Unlike tequila or mezcal, it leads with herbal, mineral, citrus and earthy notes rather than smoke or intensity — so the menu is paced to reveal that rather than announce it.
Guests meet the spirit three ways across the evening: in cocktail form, integrated into a dish, and served neat alongside food. The progression opens bright and citrus-forward on Blanco, then moves into warmer, richer, umami-driven courses for Reposado.
The beverage program is built around four tasting moments: two signature cocktails and two neat pours, Blanco before Reposado, so guests feel each expression evolve alongside the food.
Intensity progression across the evening
Otium Media culinary programming
Scroll to see the full progression →
Weight, richness and umami rise steadily; the spirit follows. The Blanco chapter closes on the sea bass skewer, which is deliberately the richest Act I course and prepares the palate for Reposado.
Act I
Sotol Romo Blanco
Fresh, bright, citrus-forward, delicate.
Course one
Scallop Nigiri
Yuzu kosho
The opening introduces the freshness and elegance of the Blanco through food and cocktail at the same time.
Signature Blanco cocktail
Course two
Kanpachi Crudo
Yuzu-ginger aguachile
A refined Japanese reading of aguachile that draws out the citrus and herbal qualities of the Blanco, and shows the spirit working inside a dish rather than beside it.
Sotol Blanco in the dish
Interlude · after course two
Blanco, Neat
Poured after the first two courses
Guests revisit the spirit on its own, having already met it in cocktail and culinary form. The neat pour lands as recognition rather than introduction.
Neat tasting
Course three · transition
Chilean Sea Bass Skewer
Ume · salsa matcha · chives
A richer course that closes the Blanco chapter and prepares the palate for the deeper characteristics of the Reposado.
Bridge course
Act II
Sotol Romo Reposado
Warm, rich, umami-driven.
Course four
Mushroom Kushiyaki & Tsukune
Charcoal, char and savory depth
The added richness and umami let the deeper notes of the Reposado become expressive without overpowering the spirit.
Signature Reposado cocktail
Course five · final
Black Cod
Miso, or a zarandeado-inspired glaze
Where Japanese technique and Mexican coastal flavor meet on purpose. The richness of the fish gives the dinner an elegant close and shows the depth of the Reposado. Final preparation to be developed by Chef Park with Yume's culinary team.
Reposado, neat
Optional
Two Guest Bartenders
Invited from Mexico City
Each develops one signature cocktail for the evening — one Blanco, one Reposado — exclusive to the event. It adds a collaborative story and a second content thread without changing the concept.
Add-on module
On fusion. The menu stays true to Yume's culinary identity. Where Japanese-Mexican influences appear, they appear because they improve the pairing — not for their own sake. This is the discipline Chef Park already works to, which is the reason he is on the project. The zarandeado black cod is the clearest example: a Mexican coastal technique applied to a dish Yume already owns, landing exactly where the Reposado is strongest.
Content and amplification
The dinner is the shoot
One evening, captured properly, supplies a full quarter of content, and a guest chef gives that content a protagonist. Production is built into the run of show rather than bolted onto it, so nothing is staged twice and nothing interrupts the guest experience.
How one night becomes a season
Otium Media campaign architecture
Scroll to see all five stages →
Stage four is the commercial commitment: Otium Media contracts to an impression floor rather than selling estimated reach. Stages one through three exist to make those impressions worth buying.
Capture
One director, one DP, one stills photographer for the full service
Hero film, 60–90s, cut for brand and trade use
Vertical cutdowns sized for Reels, TikTok and Shorts
Course-by-course stills, plus bottle and cocktail hero frames
Interview capture with Claudia Romo Edelman, Chef Park and the bartenders
Distribution
Brand partnership posts across Sotol Romo, Yume and Otium marketing partner channels
Optional3–6 creator partners in food, spirits and LA lifestyle
Paid amplification behind the strongest organic cuts
Optional Trade and local press outreach around the event date
Recipe cards and a pairing one-sheet for distributor use
Guarantee
Contracted impression floor: TBD — to be set with media plan
Make-good in additional paid spend if the floor is missed
Third-party verified reporting on paid placements
Creator deliverables specified by post type and usage window
Full asset licensing assigned to Sotol Romo in perpetuity
Figures with a dotted underline are placeholders pending the media plan and the final venue date. Items tagged Optional are priced as add-on modules and can be removed without affecting the core scope. Impression guarantees should not be published until the paid budget and creator roster are confirmed.
Measurement
What gets reported back
Each objective has one number attached to it. Otium Media reports against all five within 14 days of the event.
TBD
Guaranteed impressions delivered against the contracted floor
TBD
Seats filled and guest profile at the dinner
TBD
Assets delivered — film, cutdowns, stills
2
Venue listings live after the event, Calabasas and Studio City
TBD
Earned press and trade placements
Depletion and reorder data sits with the distributor rather than with us, so it is not something Otium Media can guarantee. What we can do is instrument everything upstream of it and hand the distributor a market that has already heard of the category.
Scope
What Otium Media executes
Programming
Venue negotiation and contracting at both Yume locations
Guest chef engagement, contracting and travel for Elvin Park
Menu development with Chef Park and Yume's culinary team
Cocktail development, including the optional Mexico City bartender module
Run of show, staffing and guest list
Staff education session framed through sake purity grades
Production
Full creative direction and art direction
Crew, equipment and on-site production management
Post-production, edit, color and sound
Photography retouching and asset delivery
Design of printed menus and table collateral
Campaign
Media plan and paid buying
Creator sourcing, negotiation and compliance
Press and trade outreach
Reporting against the five objectives
Playbook for repeating the format in the next market
Indicative timeline
From signature to reporting · dates TBC
Week 1–2
Lock the night. Venue contract, date, seat count and budget confirmed. Media plan built and the impression floor set.
Week 3–5
Build the menu. Chef Park in residence for tasting sessions with Yume's kitchen and bar. Two signature cocktails finalized. Creator roster confirmed.
Week 6
Pre-production. Shot list, run of show, crew booked, press embargo set, printed collateral to production.
Week 7
The dinner. One service, full capture, guest and trade list in the room.
Week 8–10
Cut and distribute. Hero film and cutdowns delivered. Creator posts go live. Paid amplification begins behind the best-performing cuts.
Week 11–12
Report and repeat. Full reporting against the five objectives, plus the playbook for the next market.
Art direction
The look, and how we get it
Two worlds, one restraint: high desert mineral and Japanese precision. Both reward negative space, hard directional light and very little color. Every frame below is a shot on the list, not a stock search.
Plate 01
The plant
Wild Dasylirion in Chihuahuan light. Low sun, long shadow, blades in silhouette.
Plate 02
The counter
Yume's bar at service. Hands, knife, the pour. Warm tungsten against dark wood.
Plate 03
The crudo
Kanpachi and aguachile shot overhead on stone. Cold light, wet surfaces.
Plate 04
The neat pour
Blanco in glass, backlit. The bottle in frame but not the hero of it.
Plate 05
The char
Kushiyaki over coals. Smoke, ember, motion blur — the only heat in the palette.
Plate 06
The chef
Reference already in hand — see the guest chef section. Match this treatment on the night.
The hero scene
A silent loop of the dining room at service, running behind the title of this page. The bottle is present throughout and the pour is the only close-up, so the film reads as an evening rather than as an advertisement. The beats below are the spec for the final cut, shot as second unit on the night of the dinner.
0:00 – 0:03The roomWide, locked off. Calabasas at dusk, street-side glass, warm interior against blue outside. Guests seated, plates arriving in the mid-ground.
0:03 – 0:06The tableMedium at the counter. Two guests, a sashimi plate between them, chopsticks in motion. The Blanco bottle stands in frame, sharp, uncommented.
0:06 – 0:10The pourThe only close-up. Bottle tilts, sotol runs into a small glass, backlit so the liquid carries the light. Shot at 60fps, played at 24.
0:10 – 0:13The raiseGlasses lift into the frame. Faces soft or out of frame entirely — the gesture is the subject, not the guest.
0:13 – 0:15ReturnBack to the opening wide, bottle still on the table. Frame matches beat one so the loop closes invisibly.
Format3840 × 2160 master, 24fps, silent. Delivered as H.264 MP4 and VP9 WebM, color-graded to the palette on this page.
Web loop1920 × 1080, under 4 MB, no audio track, seamless in and out. A 9:16 vertical alternate for social.
ScheduleSecond unit before doors, then coverage through service. Clean-room plates shot in the afternoon while the kitchen preps.
DeliveredAudio track stripped, crossfaded so the loop closes without a visible cut. 8.5s, 1.6 MB MP4 with a 1.3 MB VP9 WebM served first, plus a matched poster frame so the hero never renders empty.
ComplianceAll on-camera talent 25 or older, no depiction of intoxication, no vehicles in frame. Standard for spirits marketing and worth locking before the call sheet goes out.
Shot list, not a stock search. These slots take original photography captured on the night, so the treatment stays consistent across the whole library. Rights are cleared: the hero film behind the title of this page, the portrait of Chef Park and Yume's interior, cocktail and sake-pour frames are all available for use across this campaign. Sotol Romo's key visual is held in the asset folder as an alternate hero still.
Next
One night in the Valley, then the whole market
The ask is a working session with Sotol Romo to set the date, the seat count and the impression floor. Yume is ready to host and the menu is drafted. Everything after that is production.
Otium Media — Experiential Campaign Proposalsotolromo.otiummedia.comJuly 2026 · Confidential
Sources — U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 five-year estimates via Census Reporter · IWSR 2023 data release · PR Newswire · FSR Magazine · The Infatuation · Fred Minnick · Global Drinks Intel · Mezcalistas · venue and brand materials · fusionlab.mx for Chef Park's background. Culinary progression developed by Otium Media's culinary and programming lead with guest chef Elvin Park. Figures current as of July 2026.
